


The Way the Cookie Crumbles

by AXEe



Category: The Orville (TV)
Genre: Alara never left, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Getting Together, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-14 23:54:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28929117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AXEe/pseuds/AXEe
Summary: Missing scene/AU from Season Two's "Deflectors", Alara has a talk with Ed about one of her new shipmates and learns something about him in the process...
Relationships: Alara Kitan/Ed Mercer
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	The Way the Cookie Crumbles

**Author's Note:**

> So, I _FINALLY_ got around to watching Season Two of "The Orville" (why it took me this long I don't know) and after seeing "Deflectors" this Ed/Alara fic popped into my head. So basically, let's imagine that Alara never left the show and that Talla is her apprentice or something.
> 
> Enjoy :=)

******

Alara frowned as she stuck her head into Ed's office.

"Alara! Hey!" he grinned from behind the desk, waving "c'mon in, take a load off" he grinned.

Unable to keep the smile off her face, Alara did as instructed, settling down opposite him.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" she asked.

"Yeah," Ed nodded "off the record though," he added around a bites of a cookie before offering her one "cookie?"

"No thanks," she shook her head "what is that anyway?" she wondered.

"Cookie bouquet," Ed said as if that explained it all "you've never heard of these?"

"No, I have," she nodded "just wondering...why you have one"

"Kelly gave it me," he explained, moving onto another cookie "apparently Cassius sent it to her," he explained "she didn't want it and these are good, so..." he shrugged.

"Is Cassius still trying to win her back?" Alara asked.

"Yep," Ed nodded "sappy texts and everything"

"Ugh, needy" Alara groaned.

"Definitely," Ed grinned "so, anyway," he visibly stopped himself from eating another cookie "I wanted to ask you about Lt. Keyali" he explained.

"Off the record" Alara nodded.

"Off the record," he nodded "so, what's your impression of her? Good? Bad? Somewhere in between?"

"Good," Alara nodded "she seems to be settling in good. Although...."

"Although?" Ed probed.

"Oh. It's nothing really," she dismissed "but, I saw her in the mess hall earlier with Gordon and John and she seems to think that you and Kelly...well..."

"Well what?" Ed asked "oh! _Oh!_ " he exclaimed "really?"

"Yeah, I told her that she was dead wrong, but..." Alara shrugged.

"I mean, I'll admit that Kel and I are still close," Ed conceded "maybe even closer than we were when we were married. But back together?" he trailed off and shuddered "ugh! God no!" he looked back towards the cookie bouquet "you _sure_ you don't want a cookie?" he pushed "they're really good"

"Sure," accepting the cookie from him, she lightly nibbled on it "wow, that really _is_ good" she realized.

"See?"" Ed nodded, standing up and coming around the desk to perch on it's edge in front of her "so Talla's settling OK?" he asked "she's not going around punching senior officers' lights out?"

"Not yet"

"That's good," he nodded "would you punch me?" he wondered "I mean if the situation was right?"

Stopping, Alara frowned and then shook her head.

"No, never" she stated.

"What if I ordered you to punch me?" he pushed.

"Still nope"

"Huh," Ed frowned "I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing" he admitted.

"Oh it's a good thing, definitely" she nodded.

"If you say so," he shrugged, grabbing another cookie "so, do people really think that Kelly and I are back together?" he wondered.

"I guess," she shrugged "I don't really pay attention to gossip"

"Good policy" he nodded, before frowning "you got a little...," he gestured to his face "crumbs"

"Oh," reaching up, Alara swiped at her face "did I get it?"

"No. Here," suddenly pushing himself up off the edge of the desk, Ed gently reached out towards Alara, causing her to go slightly cross-eyed as she watched his thumb reach up and gently brushed a bit of cookie crumbs off the corner of her mouth "there" he murmured.

"Oh," Xelayans didn't blush but Alara was betting that if she were Human her face would be as red as her uniform "thanks" she mumbled.

"Sure" Ed nodded, looking just as embarrassed as she felt.

An awkward silence suddenly fell over them, but then Alara remembered something that Talla had said back in the mess hall when she'd been trying to convince Gordon and John that Ed and Kelly were still a couple.

_"the galaxy is full of so many unhappy people. Why ignore something good?"_

Looking up at Ed, Alara slowly pushed herself upright.

"Everything we've said so far is off the record, right?" she began

"Uh, yeah, yeah," Ed nodded "totally off"

Alara nodded.

"Good" she declared. Then, she slowly reached out, gently resting her hands on his shoulders and when he didn't pull away, leaned forwards and gently pressed a light, chaste kiss to his cheek. Pulling back, she studied his face, trying to gauge his reaction, which currently seemed to be _'stunned silence'_. Slowly, he blinked. Once. Twice. Then, he looked up at her, a slow, shy grin crossing his face.

"See, told you cookie bouquets were good" he grinned. It was such a stupid and totally Ed thing to say and Alara found herself grinning back.

"Yeah, guess you did" she chuckled, realizing that she had yet to pull back from him. Reaching down, she gently wound her arms around his waist, pulling him close. Chuckling, he pulled her closer, gently resting his chin against her shoulder.

"We really should talk about this" he said suddenly.

"I know" she nodded.

"Later" he decided.

"Later" she agreed...

**END**

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you thought :=)


End file.
